How many courses should I take when I’m working full-time or part-time?
Studying with a full-course load (five courses per term) is a full-time job, and university life is demanding in your first-year. This is especially true for science students, since many science courses include laboratory work. Also, you need time for writing lab reports. If you can, you should give your studies your full attention. If you’re working part-time, adjust your course-load appropriately. A good rule-of-thumb for estimating the time needed for course-work: multiply the time spent in scheduled lectures, labs and tutorials by three. Include that time in your weekly schedule. For example, someone working 15-20 hours per week should take no more than a half-load of courses, perhaps two science courses with labs or three non-science courses. And that would be demanding! Don’t forget about family life, recreation, community service, friends, etc. If you’re employed full-time, you don’t have time for more than one course per term, and, if the course includes a lab, that might be di
